


Video Games > English Projects

by ClickerClaws



Series: Go Green! [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: M/M, There’s also an original character in here but she’s a bUTT and isn’t worthy of being an OC, They’re warming up to each other oOoOh, it’s Chen’s first time and he’s struggling, video games - Freeform, whats this? It gets gayer?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 07:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12907494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClickerClaws/pseuds/ClickerClaws
Summary: When putting together a project you were forced to pair up for gets too hard, Lloyd suggests they take a break. Chen is introduced to something entirely new and finds it more mind-boggling than the project itself.





	Video Games > English Projects

**Author's Note:**

> So since I wrote No Room on the Bleachers and Expectations before I watched the movie, this series is going to turn out just a tiny bit different. It’s going to combine both aspects of the show and the movie i.e. Mega Monster Amusement Park is a thing in this universe and the ninja have traces of their powers but have no idea how to control it yet so there’s that!
> 
> Also this edition is a BIG reference to my Glacier fic Dust and Crystals, so uh check that out if you wanna ;)
> 
> Now without further ado

Lloyd was okay with english. He understood the material well, managed to stay caught up with the assigned chapters, and Nya and Jay shared the class with him, and as far as Lloyd knew, Nya was the smartest girl in the world and there was no question when it came to picking partners. So yeah, as long as he was on top of everything, Lloyd and english went hand-in-hand.

Chen, however, loathed english with a sickening passion. Everything about it was awful, the assigned books were hard to catch up with, the essays were a pain to distinguish, and it was the only time where he was in the same room with Lloyd for an hour and a half and was _not_ allowed to throw well-thought-out chants in his face.

Lloyd sat down in his chair and unpacked his things, opening up his notebook and awaiting the start of class. The teacher stood and finished taking attendance before she cleared her throat.

“Welcome to class everyone, we have a new student with us today; Audrey,” she said in the most monotone voice that seemed hard for Lloyd to get used to. A tall girl with wavy dark hair in the corner next to Chen gave the class a little wave while tossing some of her long hair out of her face. She sat as soon as she had her moment.

“Anyway, now, let’s talk about what we’re going to do for our mid-term project.”

The entire class groaned at the teacher’s statement and Lloyd swore he heard someone banging their head against a desk.

“As we finish our current historical novel, the Serpentine Wars of 1825, Ninjago’s biggest Serpentine War, you are all going to partner up and create a timeline, listing both the causes and the effects of the war.”

Lloyd and Jay, who were sitting next to each other, leaned a bit out of their chairs to see Nya do the same from a whole different area of the room, all of them giving a very knowing thumbs up before the teacher continued.

“This particular project is being done in every english class throughout the district and every entry will be submitted into a contest. The winning entry for the best all-around project will receive two tickets to Mega Monster Amusement park.”

The class brightened up a little bit more at this. Lloyd couldn’t remember where he heard it first, but Mega Monster’s not-so-scary terror-themed dark ride wasn’t doing so hot in popularity so they tore it down to open up a new five-star full out haunted house-type walkthrough. The attraction is entirely brand new, and as far as he’s heard, no one he knew had given it a whirl yet. But one thing was for sure; everyone was itching to try it out.

“But because the last time I let you pick partners got out of hand, and I know zero of you have the potential to win in this class, I say screw it, I’m choosing your partners.”

The class burst into sudden protest almost immediately, the once quiet air filled with “what?”’s and even more aggravated groans with yet another slam of the head against a desk.

The teacher started right off the bat with the first few pair of names, ignoring to ongoing groans and murmurs. Lloyd waited, not paying much attention as she did so, Nya being paired with some guy none of them knew (something Jay got a bit worked up about) and Jay being paired with the new girl, Audrey.

Lloyd allowed his mind to wander off a bit as she continued calling off pairs, until she said something that really snapped Lloyd out of it.

“Bradley Chen will be working with Lloyd Garmadon.”

Lloyd looked in Chen’s direction immediately, both having the same shocked yet slightly disgusted look on their face. As soon as they exchanged glances, both of their hands shot up high in the air, urgently looking at the teacher expectedly.

“And no, you can't change partners.”

Lloyd let out a groan and soon found out that Chen was indeed the one who kept slamming his head against the desk.

The class sat in bored, bitter silence as the teacher called off the rest of the pairs and excused them to start their plans. The class moved around to sit by their partners, all except for Lloyd and Jay who both looked terribly bugged as students all over the room began to swap phone numbers with each other. Lloyd stared at Chen who was still sitting in his desk, talking with the new girl, Audrey, who looked a little too interested in whatever he was saying.

“Think he’s plotting my death?” Lloyd mumbled, chin on his desk as he watched Audrey give a slip of paper to the cheerleader, which he examined shortly, crumpled up and tossed somewhere in his bag without interest.

“I don’t know, man, but I wish you luck. Maybe you can work something out,” Jay shrugged.

“Yeah I don’t know. If I die from this, do you think I’ll be excused from the project?”

—

Lloyd sauntered through the halls to his locker after the final bell of the day had rung, coming to a conclusion that he was going to fail english. There was no way Chen was going to commit to working with him let alone stand within five feet of him.

He pulled open his locker and carelessly shoved a few binders in, slamming it closed before letting out a startled screech at the very sudden sight of Chen.

“Hey Garmadork,” said the cheerleader in a tone that made Lloyd shiver; his regular tone. As Lloyd recovered he noticed that one, they weren’t alone but accompanied by two other cheerleaders, and two, Chen was a surprising four feet away from him, one less than the 5-foot requirement.

“Listen, we both know that we aren’t doing the project together, so to save you the trouble, I’m going to talk to the teacher and get us new partners, maybe she’ll pair you up with one of your Dorksquad friends or something. She can’t say no to the most valued face in the school.”

Lloyd could feel himself gag.

“So anyway, have fun doing… whatever the son of Garmadon does…” he stepped closer to Lloyd, his face dangerously close to his own and way under the 5-foot requirement. “And for the record, I’m not doing this for you, alright? Next time this happens, it’s on you.”

Chen pulled out some sunglasses and snapped them open, turning away from Lloyd and sliding them onto the bridge of his nose as he walked away with the two cheerleaders on either side. Lloyd watched as Chen pushed both of the doors at the end of the hall open, him and his cheerleader bodyguards making a very dramatic and nicely done exit through the swinging doors.

Lloyd shook his head slightly with a huff. He was going to be more than happy getting a different partner for the project.

—

Lloyd was greeted with the very annoyed and tired face of Chen and he swung open the door to his apartment, his project partner’s features plain with defeat and agony as he held heavy-looking grocery bags full of crafting supplies.

“Oh and good evening to you too, sunshine!”

“Don’t talk to me.” Chen grumbled through his teeth, tone laced with annoyance as he shoved past Lloyd to dump the grocery bags on his small dinner table.

“Explain to me why we have to do this again?” Chen sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets, keeping away from the walls and any of the houses possessions. Lloyd put his hands on his hips.

“Because your dumb plan failed and we need to graduate high school, and both of us will fail if we don’t at least get this dumb project done.” Lloyd remarked.

“I could just bribe you for doing our project, y’know.”

“Yeah, not happening.”

Lloyd jumped suddenly as he heard a door from the hallway close, something brightly orange poked its head out of the hall’s entrance not far off.

“Welcome home sweetie!” Came a cheery voice as the orange mass showed the rest of itself, revealing who Chen could only guess to be Lloyd’s mother. She quickly took off a dragon-printed apron from over her head, revealing a much lighter and more inviting color of green than Lloyd usually wore on an average school day.

Making her way over to the kitchen, she gave Lloyd a peck on the head, causing him to shy away in embarrassment.

“Ugh, hey mom.” Lloyd grumbled, trying to hide his reddening face. She turned her attention away from Lloyd for just a second before acknowledging the other high schooler, her smile brightening, she let out a little gasp.

“And who is this? Lloyd, you didn’t tell me we were going to have visitors! It’s such a pleasure to have you here. Please, take a seat, you want any cookies? They’re still fresh.”

“No, I’m fine, thank you though…” Chen replied, waving a hand at her.

“Mom, he’s just here to work on a project.” Lloyd sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well, he is in our house, and no one enters our humble abode without having the warmest welcome. Now, I don’t want to bother you any longer, so you two get to work.” She turned to Chen, who froze at her warm gaze meeting him. “Make sure to holler if you two need anything, and if you still want those cookies, they're in the oven. Hope you’re not allergic to cinnamon!”

Chen watched her leave through the hallway again, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning to Lloyd.

“You didn’t tell her I was coming?” He wondered. Lloyd scoffed.

“I didn’t think it was that important telling my mother some awful, over dramatic, pissed off jerk was paying us a visit today.” Chen could feel something similar to a growl rumble deep in his throat.

“You’re lucky your mom’s so nice, Garmascum.” He snapped dully. Lloyd cocked an eyebrow.

“What were you expecting? Red eyes, sharp teeth, four arms?” The younger teen huffed, his arms folded across his chest.

“Whatever, let’s just get this project done so we never have to see each other ever again.” Chen pulled up a chair and sat, taking the grocery bag and dumping its contents onto the table.

 

 

Chen was certain he was going to drop dead that night, and not because he was at Lloyd Garmadon’s house. He could feel sheer exhaustion radiating off of the sophomore right now akin to his own, groaning in agony as the small, helpless kitchen table was littered with dead glue sticks, unused parchment and paper shavings.

Lloyd was flipping through the endless pages of his very thick library copy of the Serpentine Wars of 1825, his golden hair a total mess as Chen lay on the other side of the table, half asleep and hands covered in glue.

“Hey, wake up!” Chen jolted awake, hearing Lloyd’s wake up call for the third time that night.

“Do you remember which city General Slithrus’ army massacred again?” Chen fluttered his eyelids before giving a gruff “no.” Lloyd let his hand fall onto the table.

“Did you even read the book?”

“Do I look like I read five-billion-page history books dude?” Chen ran both of his hands through his hair, drawing in a breath and taking a moment to recharge. “Okay,” he sighed. “How about we switch places. I’ll read off the chapters and you list the events.”

“Sure, ok, but there’s just one problem. How are you supposed to know the events of the chapters _if you haven’t read the stupid book?_ ” Lloyd exclaimed, clearly aggravated from the work.

“Do you have a _better idea then?_ ” Chen shot back, watching as Lloyd buried his face in the folded sleeves of his hoodie as if trying to close out a scream. The two of them sat in aggravation of each other for a good few seconds until Lloyd spoke up again.

“You wanna take a break?” He sighed. Chen hummed, nodding slowly and pushed the poster board away from him and to the middle of the table. Tapping his foot, Lloyd took a deep breath, looking around at the cluttered mess on the table.

“Do you want to play a video game?”

Chen woke up a little more at Lloyd’s suggestion.

“A video game?”

“Yeah, that’s what I do to focus when I’m stressed out.”

“You play video games to focus?” Chen seemed perplexed at this supposedly fascinating information, causing Lloyd to cock an eyebrow awkwardly.

“Uh, yeah, don’t you?”

“Don’t video games rot your brain?”

“Of course not, that’s ridiculous. Are you telling me you don’t play video games?”

“No. Unlike you I don’t waste my time staring at a screen all day.” Chen felt a vibration in his jacket’s pocket and proceeded to pull out his phone. Lloyd pounded on the table a few times to get the cheerleader’s attention back.

“Hey. Do you want to go play video games or not?” Chen pursed his lips.

“Beats sitting around like idiots and yelling at each other.” He shrugged, standing up out of his chair and stretching his cramped up arms over his head.

“Okay, my room’s at the end of the hall. Might as well grab these.” He stepped over to the oven, opening it and grabbing a cookie to shove in his mouth before stealing the rest of the tray. He shut the oven and started off down the hallway. Chen followed reluctantly, still wondering why the heck he was agreeing to this as his clouded and very tired eyes wandered around the pretty green and white-patterned wallpaper and the framed photos staggering neatly along the walls. Before he cared to take a glance at any of them, Lloyd beckoned him into the room at the end of the hall with the tray of cookies in tow.

Chen entered the room, as Lloyd reached up to tug a chain hanging down from the ceiling and switching on a light, Chen froze dead in his tracks as he examined the minuscule space.

It had been the smallest room he had ever seen in his life. The bunk bed had to have been taking up half the room, covered in, of course, green sheets with what seemed to be the entrance to an attic on the ceiling, a dresser with an old, square television atop it, some shelves sporting action figures, and a closet.

“What are you standing around for, come in.” Chen sighed and shuffled into the bedroom before his chest got assaulted by something big, soft and white like a marshmallow. He gripped the pillow that had been tossed to him before it could fall to the ground, a little baffled and confused before Lloyd took one from the top bunk and tossed it on the ground in front of him.

“You’re gonna want something to sit on, this floor could do a number on your backside.” Lloyd took a seat and reached for the TV remote and two controllers tucked under the bed.

“W-wait, we’re doing it on this TV?” Chen stammered, chucking his own pillow on the floor.

“Yeah, what were you expecting, a giant flat screen to ascend from my closet or something? No, yeah, we’re playing on this TV.” Lloyd waited for the screen to flicker on before hitting input a few times and connecting up the controllers. Chen watched silently as Lloyd worked on the set up, doing it as if he had done it a million times before. Soon enough he stood to eject a disk from a box on top of the TV and pulled a few disks from out of his drawer.

“So, what are you feeling? Some Fritz Donegan? Viper Smash?”

“Viper Smash?”

“Viper Smash it is.”

“No no no wait.” Chen stammered, waving a hand out in front of him and pausing Lloyd’s action. “That’s not what I- What kind of a name is Viper Smash?” Lloyd blinked in surprise.

“Viper Smash is a classic, I’m surprised you haven’t played it.” Chen scoffed, reaching to scratch the back of his neck as his eyes wandered away.

“Yeah well I mean–“ he felt Lloyd’s gaze burn into his skin as he felt his face heat up. He refused to allow himself to feel embarrassment. He looked up at Lloyd who was still waiting for him to continue.

“I haven’t exactly played video games before.” Lloyd blinked a few times as if trying to process what Chen had just said.

“I’m sorry, say that again?”

“I’ve… never played video games befo–“

“That’s insane!”

“A-actually it’s not, really.” Chen put his hands up defensively at Lloyd’s outburst, confused he had done so and with an unhideable smile creeping onto the blonde’s face, like the kind of expression you would have if the most brilliant idea had just dawned upon you.

The sophomore tossed the disks back into the drawer and began digging some more, searching frantically. Chen sat up taller in attempt to get a better glimpse at exactly what Lloyd was doing before the younger teen pulled something out of the drawer and pushed it shut. He examined the cd case in his hands, cracking it open and taking the disk out out to gently slip it into the box on top of the tv. He held down one of the buttons on the console and waited until he could hear it whirr to life, similar a to a sound you could pick up when you hung around Zane Julien long enough. What a weird kid.

“So, you’ve never played video games before. Like ever.” Lloyd’s question snapped Chen out of his thoughts.

“I mean, I’ve played a few apps now and then.” He shrugged.

“Well apps don’t count, I’m introducing you to a real game, the best multi-player game I know.”

“Why?” asked Chen, still perplexed.

“Because, Chen, even if you are technically the worst person ever, I can’t just sit there and let you go more than 16 years of your life without playing a single video game.”

“Gee thanks.”

“No problem, here’s your controller.”

Chen snatched the controller that was being held out to him and watched as the TV flickered on, showing the title screen, intense background music blasting through the helpless little speakers.

“Nindroid Apocalypse VI? Sounds nerdy, like something someone who believes that the Nindroid Apocalypse is actually going to happen would play. You don’t believe in Nindroids, do you?”

“They’re just as real as dragons, my friend.”

Lloyd started to set up their game. Chen asked why they were playing six and not one through five. Lloyd explained that one was an online game, two was the worst edition, three and four were single-players, and five was too expensive, but each game was a different story to follow.

“So in this one, the two protagonists are probably in love with each other, but, about halfway through they find out that one of them is a Nindroid, which is pretty tough because you have to kill all the Nindroids. Zeke isn’t like the other Nindroids though, he wasn’t programmed to kill anyone, but everyone’s kind of after him because he’s a Nindroid though so Cameron kind of has to protect him while also simultaneously fighting other Nindroids–“

“Can we please just play the game, Lloyd?”

“Right, sorry.”

Lloyd taught Chen how to jump, run, equipt, aim and shoot. The walking part got some getting used to, it being his first time and all, and after a few sighs and signs of struggle, Chen finally got the hang of it, and then got used to aiming, and then began to memorize the actions. It took a lot of patience, for both of them, but when they went at least 20 minutes without either of them dying or complaining, Chen actually found himself having fun.

 

  
“Dude, there’s one right there! _Right next to you, right there!_ ”

“Where?”

“There! Over there, to your left!”

There was a scream.

“Sorry, sorry, that was a cliff, I meant your right.”

There was some muffled swearing as player two’s screen blacked out. “What do I do?”

“Just wait until you regenerate and– ugh, ok I’ll hold off the Nindroids while you catch up, do you see Base: Red on your map?”

Chen peered at the screen. “What, the big red square in the middle?”

“Yeah that. Come meet me halfway and then head there, that’s where we can get to the next level.”

“But, it’s swarming with Nindroids.” Tiny purple specks were scattered around the map around the red square that was Base: Red.

“It’s ok, how many mites do you have left?”

“What, those explosive bomb-type things?”

“Yeah those.”

“Three.”

Lloyd sighed. “Alright, we’ll make due. Those things can take out eight Nindroids at once but you need to salvage them for when you get closer to Base: Red, alright? Now just follow my lead.”

“Ok…”

“Now, time to finish this level– Hey are you okay?”

Chen had abandoned his controller and was laying on the floor with his palms over his eyes. He let out a long groan.

“How do you survive playing this?”

Lloyd chuckled. “I don’t think you do. But, it’s ok! We can do it, are you ready to finish this?”

Chen took one hand away from his face to see Lloyd was holding his own out to him. The tired cheerleader took it and pulled himself upright, picking up his controller again and taking a deep breath.

“I knew I was going to die here tonight, I just didn’t know it was going to be to a fricking video game.”

Lloyd laughed and clicked start.

They started up at the last checkpoint and they both started to book it in the direction of the Base and Chen began to envy Lloyd’s character for being equipped with mites to clear away Nindroids while Chen’s was left with a bow and arrow.

Chen’s hands were damp with sweat, the controller tight in his grip. He refused to take his hand away to wipe his forehead. They were so close. He watched his character move throughout the terrain. Just watching him run for his life made his legs tired. They both sat in very tense and energized silence as they sprinted across every rock, stream and pile of random rubble in their way with the occasional Nindroid appearing only to be penetrated with an arrow or blown to smithereens thanks to Lloyd’s smart reservation of the mites. They were getting closer, and as they did, the number of Nindroids in their path grew.

Lloyd drew in a breath and Chen’s mouth dropped slightly. Chen has never seen so many of them. They were moving quickly toward the two players, about ten coming up at a time. Lloyd groaned and Chen glimpsed his character changing his weapon from a mite to a scythe, beginning to swing anything in his path.

“I’m out of mites.”

“Great, we’re doomed.”

“Not yet, we’re not. We’re almost there, don’t let–”

Suddenly, a bright red beam illuminated the screen, startling the players, and a slow motion segment of Cameron suffering an ultra-violet blast to the chest dragged slowly onto the screen. Chen’s eyes went wide as the scene played out. Lloyd went rigid. It was all over. Chen let his controller drop to his lap.

“ _No!_ ” Lloyd cried. “ _We were so close!_ ”

There was a loud, high-pitched whine, a crack that made Chen jolt. It all happened too fast for him to sort it out for himself, but something surged from Lloyd’s controller, or possibly from Lloyd’s fingertips, Chen wasn’t sure. It was something like white-hot, green-tinted electricity, striking, crackling and climbing quickly up through the controller’s cord and zipping up into the console where it had been connected.

Everything started flickering madly, the loud cracking and splintering sounds caused jolt after jolt through Chen’s body.

Chen was sure Lloyd’s room had just been struck by lightning, he just didn’t know it had been green in color up close.

The room had plunged into blackness in seconds, and the only sound that was heard was the inhale and exhale of the two breaths in the room. Chen was speechless. Lloyd, however, miraculously didn’t seem too phased.

“No, no no no no no, my mom’s going to _kill_ me!”

Chen shuffled for his phone, heart thudding rapidly in his chest as his fingers fumbled for the flashlight feature, taking a glimpse at a text pop up from Audrey, something about having a lame partner. The light landed on Lloyd who was frantically tampering with the box on his dresser, mumbling to himself.

“What was that?” Chen heaved, tired eyes wide with shock. Lloyd waved a hand at him.

“Uh, short circuit or something… rusty wiring and all, happens all the time, old apartment.” He let out a wheezy, nervous laugh.

Chen’s attention was grabbed by the empty cookie tray at the foot of the dresser accompanied by a green hoodie and a varsity jacket. How long had they been playing for? Lloyd snapped his attention to Chen when he didn’t get a reply, his shoulders relaxing as the light from the phone illuminated Chen’s wide, worried features.

“Are you… sweating?”

Chen snapped his attention to the sophomore, his eyebrows knitting together as he touched his fingers to his forehead. He was sweating. He wiped his hairline with his forearm. He was sweating a lot. He began to think that he never sweat that much in his life. And he was a cheerleader. Lloyd hid a snirk behind his hands.

“It’s not funny. People sweat, big deal.”

“Yeah, but not that much when it’s their first time playing video games.”

Chen scoffed and stood up, stretching. “Geez, what time is it?”

Lloyd felt for his phone on his bed, snatching it and clicking it on. He showed Chen the time on the screen, who smacked a hand over his face.

“It can’t be 11:50 already, I have to go.” Chen scooped up his varsity jacket and shone his phone’s light on the door, twisting the doorknob and swinging the door open. He paused as he did, taking a hesitant glance back at Lloyd, whose face was barely illuminated by the light on his screen.

“Uh… you’re still a dork. Just so you know.”

“Yeah, sure whatever, see you tomorrow, jerk.” Chen gave a nod and left Lloyd’s sight.

The younger teen waited until he heard the front door click close before taking a deep breath and collapsing on the bottom part of his bunk, his head becoming overwhelmingly dizzy. Worry soared to his head as he took a glance at his TV, totally fried. He clasped his hands together tightly, his heart heavy in his stomach.

_Of all times for your powers to go off, Lloyd… it just had to be now…_

  
—

  
Chen kicked off his shoes and closed the door ever so quietly as to not wake anyone in the house. The high-up penthouse apartment he called home was dim, which wasn’t surprising since it was about midnight. He tip-toed across the clean, wood floor of the living room to the large wall-sized window that showed the light-speckled city. He looked through this window every day, and it was hard not to due to its size, but this was the first time that he looked down and saw the building he left, Lloyd’s beat up, old, tiny apartment building. That was far off in its own little area in the suburbs, barely hidden in the forgotten darkness. In one of the windows, a light flickered to life, and Chen wondered if they finally got the power back on.

The cheerleader turned abruptly as he heard a voice from the top of the stairs.

“Brad?”

A young adult woman was making her way down to the foot of the stairs. Chen relaxed upon seeing her.

“Oh, Sky, it’s only you. Is dad up there?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but he probably thinks you're upstairs asleep. Why are you home so late?”

“Project.” Chen explained. The sister rubbed an eye and headed to the kitchen, opening the fridge.

“Well, you better hurry before he sees you. He might ask you about switching cheerleading for football, or fixing cars or whatever else he thinks is manly.”

Chen laughed, cocking an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Midnight snack. College students need food too.”

“Pretty sure they also need sleep.”

“I fed your dumb lizard while you were gone, be grateful!”

Chen stuck his tongue out and waited for a playful hiss from his sister to play out before he began to sneak up the stairs. Carefully, he managed to move through the hall to his room before he could be noticed. He closed his door gently and let go of a long-held breath, letting his shoulders fall before he tossed his backpack on the floor and shut off his light.

His mind was elsewhere as he studied his bearded dragon, Arcturus along with a row of cheer trophies lining up on a shelf above his window. He just couldn’t get his mind off of the night he had, mostly when it ended so suddenly when the power went out.

And the more he thought about it, the less he believed what happened was a freak short circuit.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading and more is on its way!


End file.
